Fear Not the Night: Bottled
by The Dragon's Scribe
Summary: First One-shot in the installment of Fear Not the Night. Leo and Naito have worked together over the past few months and things are settling as they continue to work together in their hunting of serial murderers. However, tensions begin to rise as another serial killer rises up in New York.


**A/N: Here's the first One-shot after Fear Not the Night.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT.**

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Leo leaned back in the chair, his hand flicked out as he carved at a piece of wood with his hunting knife. His Glock handgun sat on the table he rested his feet on. A content smirk and an amused glint were apparent on his scarred features. He watched Naito struggle with the toaster that sat on the apartment countertop.

Naito stood with shoulders squared and head low as his crystalline gaze smoldered with anger. His ferocious glare was centered on the toaster. A plate of horribly blackened toast sat on the counter next to the the toaster.

"I don't think glaring at that inanimate object is going to solve anything." Leo commented.

Naito shot him a look. Leo shrugged his shoulders and continued to carve at the wood with his blade. The two remained silent, only the sound of Leo's blade cutting at the wood echoed in the apartment.

There was a popping sound and four gray eyes turned in the direction of a laptop. Naito glanced at Leo, the latter returned the look.  
Leo quickly rose to his feet, dropping the wood carving on the table and slipping the knife back into its sheath on his hip. He walked over to the laptop and glanced the screen over.

Naito straightened and watched carefully. Leo's lips creased into a smirk.

"Is there a match?" Naito asked.

Leo grinned. "It's more than that. We have two matches."

Naito straightened, his gaze narrowed and he felt the call of the other inside of him. His need tugged at its leash, growling in contentment.

"Partners?"

"It would seem so. We have a Father Arnold Ringer and his accomplice: Benjamin Grassley."  
Naito nodded. "Two men. One a priest with easy access to children. Both involved in a series of child kidnappings and murders. They beat the boys near death before drowning them and disposing of their bodies in the same fashion."

"Yes, and they've been busy. Remember the garbage bag we found little Sarah's body in?"

"Yeah, it was weighted with stones and she was tossed in the ocean still alive."

"We only found one of over fifty victims, Naito. The police found their trove of bodies and are hunting them down. Let's just take these two off their hands."

Naito frowned. That was a lot of children. Children should never be killed. They should never be harmed. These two men were worse monsters than Leo and Naito combined. Messy. Unorganized. Not to mention that they killed without code, and they killed children at that. Children. Innocents in their own right.

"Where are they now?" Naito spoke.

Leo glanced at his computer. "Ringer is at the church right now and he will remain there until ten tonight. You can grab Ringer and I'll take Grassely. We'll meet at the boat house." His gray gaze flashed at Naito who met it with his own.

"Happy hunting."

Naito nodded in response before turning to leave the apartment through the window. He glanced back at the burnt toast, shooting it an icy glare before opening the window and leaping out into darkness.

~.~.~.~

Naito stared at the ceiling of a compact car from the floor of the back seat. He had picked the car door lock and snuck into Ringer's car without notice. The street lights were dimmed and yellow. The night was dark, the stars and moon were hidden by dark clouds. It was the perfect night to kill a serial killer. He held a dark bladed knife with jagged edges in his right hand. He sighed and tapped his fingers on the blade. His Need was becoming impatient. It hungered and licked its lips for a taste of death.

He'd been waiting for over three hours. He wondered what was taking so long. He went still at the sound of footsteps outside the car. He heard a deep and rich voice call a farewell as the car door creaked open. The car shifted as a weight settled in the driver's seat. The door closed with another creak and the man in the front seat sighed. Naito rose up silently tapped the blade against a rather chubby man's throat. The man went still instantly. Spine erect and eyes wide, the man opened his mouth.

Naito pressed the blade on his throat, pressing tightly against pale skin. Father Arnold swallowed and closed his mouth.

"That's right. You're mine now. Keep silent. Do as you're told. Scream and my carbon blade will carve your throat apart in the most painful way possible. Now, start the car." Naito instructed.

Arnold Ringer nodded and turned the key in the ignition. The engine sputtered to life.

"Now get on the road and go straight."

Arnold did as he was told, following Naito's instructions. They passed other vehicles being driven by all sorts of people. Father Arnold did nothing to make the other driver's suspicious.

"What do you want from me?" He finally squeaked out. Naito pressed the blade against his throat, causing a small line of blood to bead from his blade. Father Arnold stiffened and tried to lean back from the blade, but Naito's steady hand was insistent. "Be quiet, now is not the time for you to talk. That comes later, Father. Now, turn here."

Father Arnold turned and found himself approaching an old boat house settled on piers. His eyes went wide. "Go now." Naito ordered harshly. Arnold swallowed and complied hesitantly, pulling up in front. "Now stop the car. Turn it off and toss the keys on the seat. Then open your car door."  
Arnold complied lest Naito make true on his promise. Naito kicked the back door open. He shoved Father Arnold on the dirt covered ground. The Father stared at the boat house in horror. Several bulging garbage bags sat in front of it.

"Hail Mary, full of grace" he began to choke out.

Naito grabbed Arnold's bald head in one hand and shoved the priest's face into the dirt, cutting off his prayer.

"Don't do that, Father. Face your sins with some courage." Naito ordered before dragging the priest to his feet and pushing him in the direction of the house. Arnold hesitantly walked towards the house, Naito's knife blade pressed at his back while Naito's free hand remained clamped on the back of Father Arnold's neck.

"Do you think I got all of them, Father? How many am I still missing. I know there are more."

"No...No... I... I just couldn't help myself, I swear. Please, you have to understand," Father Arnold croaked. He was shaking like a leaf caught in a bitter wind.

"But I do understand, Father." He went still at the tone in Naito's voice. Naito pressed the blade hard into Arnold's back, forcing the man to stiffen and arch his back in an effort to stay away from the blade. "You see, I can't help myself either."

Naito leaned in, his breath was cold against the back of Father Arnold's neck and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end at the sensation. His breathing quickened and his pulse raced in panic.

"But never children, Father. I could never do this to children. I have to find people like you." Naito leaned away then, shaking his head in disgust and shoved Arnold through the open door to the house.

Father Arnold froze in horror. Sitting in the entrance hall was Mr. Grassely, or rather the upper portion of his body. Blood covered the wooden floor and Grassely looked like he had been attempting to crawl away. His face was pale, even for a man of Irish descent. Naito's gaze narrowed. His gaze roved over the scene. A trail of smeared blood led from Mr. Grassely back into another room. Mr. Grassely's green eyes skittered about frantically, but the rest of him was still. Naito shoved Father Arnold to the ground.

Arnold landed on his large stomach with a grunt. Naito planted his foot on Father Arnold's back. He leaned down and struck the back of Arnold's skull with the butt of his knife. Arnold went still and limp.

Naito turned to Grassely and stared for a moment before rising to his feet and slinging Arnold over his shoulder.

Naito walked into a cleaner room. The walls were covered in plastic. The floor was covered in plastic. A table sat in the center of the room, it too was covered in plastic. Naito laid Arnold on the table and tied him down with roll upon roll of duct tape. He slid his knife from his belt as Arnold's gaze fluttered open.

"What are you?" Father Arnold asked quietly.

Naito glanced at his features. The man was not so scared anymore. He seemed to understand what was going to happen. Sometimes that happened. Sometimes his victims understood.

"I am your unmaker. The beginning and the end." Naito said simply. Arnold's gaze looked over his surroundings. Photographs of children were taped to the plastic sheets that covered the walls.

"You're like me then." Arnold sighed.

Naito tapped the blade of the knife on the palm of his free hand. "No. I'm not like you at all. I have a code. I know my limits. I'm a much neater monster than you."

He glanced back at the blood smeared floor with a look of contempt before turning back to his victim.

Arnold stared at him. "You've killed many men, haven't you?"

Naito cocked his head to the side. The memories of men and women drowning in their own blood and being stabbed through the chest, all taped down to a table filled his mind with images. "I suppose I have."

"You're going to kill me too."

Naito didn't even have to answer the question, they both knew the answer. Naito could hear the whispering of his Need at the back of his mind. It could sense Arnold's inevitable death.

Arnold stared at the ceiling. He closed his eyes. "Thank you."

Naito nodded. Some men-some monsters, could hold onto the guilt. Father Arnold was one of them. Sometimes the guilt was a killer in itself. Naito glanced down at his knife before turning his crystalline gaze back to Arnold. He didn't feel guilt like them. It was there. It was always there, but it never pulled him down. It followed him at a distance much like the people he had killed over the past year.

Naito lifted the blade over Arnold.

"You're welcome."

~.~.~.~

The apartment door slammed open. Leo sat at the small wooden table sitting in a wooden chair and looking at something on his laptop. Leo glanced up from his laptop just as a fist hit his jaw. Naito stood over him, crystalline gaze iced over. Leo's chair toppled and he hit the ground on his shell. He wiped at the blood that trickled from his lips with the back of his hand. He glared at Naito.

"What the hell is your problem?!" He snarled.

"You don't get to ask that right now. You left Grassely alive! Half his body gone! What the hell is _your _problem?! You left his blood everywhere! I had to clean it all up and kill him! If you want to feed your sadistic side then do it, clean up after yourself, and don't drag me into it." Naito snarled right back, making Leo stare coldly and silently.

Naito whirled about and strode towards the kitchen where he turned the stove on and tore open the cabinets. Across the room, a television set glowed brightly as a provocatively dressed news reporter talked loudly in an obnoxious tone.

Leo stood and approached Naito from behind. His right fist drew back before striking Naito's cheek. Naito's arm hit the counter as he steadied himself after the hit. He turned to Leo with a venomous glare. Leo glared right on back at him.

"Don't you ever hit me again." Leo bit off.

Naito's gaze narrowed. "Clean up after yourself and I wouldn't have to."

Leo opened his mouth to snarl off an insult when an outburst of horrified cries erupted from the television. The twins turned to the television.  
A body was on the screen. It had no arms and no legs. It didn't have a nose, or ears, or lips. Its tongue was gone. Its head was completely shaved. Its eyelids had been cut off to reveal glassy gray eyes. It was hard to tell if it was a man or a woman. A list of "0's and 1's" were written on its torso, covering most of its pale skin.

"After a long search over the past few days, the police have finally found the victim's body after its body parts had been strewn throughout Central Park. Police still have been unable to identify the victim or the victim's gender. The perpetrator of this tragic crime is known as the Binary Butcher. He leaves messages on the bodies of his victims in a computer language known as binary code. This is the third victim of the Binary Butcher's actions. Every victim has been methodically cut up and dissected. If you have any information concerning this killer, please contact the police."

The camera panned over the victim. Leo's gaze lingered over each number carved into its skin. The twins stared at it, transfixed by the creature that had once been a human. It's eyes moved.

"It's still alive." Naito whispered. He had no idea how that was possible. Leo turned to glare at him.

"And you thought I was sadistic." Leo remarked.

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**A/N: Alright, I'll be installing another one-shot based after this one soon. Thanks for reading and please review. **


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